1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a laser treatment (e.g., cutting) device for treating (e.g., cutting) hard and/or soft materials and, more particularly, to a laser delivery system for supplying components to the laser treatment device.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional medical handpiece comprises a waveguide (e.g., a fiber optic or trunk fiber) connected to a laser housing or module that provides electromagnetic (e.g., laser) energy that can be directed to a target surface such as bone or dental tissue by the handpiece in order to accomplish cutting of the tissue. FIG. 1 illustrates a prior-art handpiece 100 comprising a waveguide 105 that receives laser energy from the laser housing. The energy is transmitted through a window 110 and is reflected from a 90-degree mirror 115. Energy reflected from the mirror 115 is directed to a tip or ferrule 120 that directs the laser energy to the target surface.
FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate isolated elements of handpieces generally similar to that of FIG. 1 and demonstrate representative prior-art designs of laser handpieces. FIG. 2 illustrates a device 200 comprising a waveguide 205 that emits laser energy and a flat window 210 through which the laser energy 212 is transmitted before reaching a concave reflector 215. Laser energy 217 reflected from the reflector 215 enters a tip 220 whence laser energy 222 output from the tip 220 may be directed to a target surface. Disadvantageously, the device 200 illustrated in FIG. 2 exhibits a diverging (e.g., spreading) of the laser energy 212 leaving the window 210. To the extent the concave reflector 215 may mitigate an effect of the spreading laser energy 212 by focusing the laser energy 217 entering the tip 220, such compensation in the example still does not provide an adequate net correction, as the tip 220 in the example continues to emit diverging laser energy 222.
Considering FIG. 3, it illustrates a prior-art device 300 comprising a waveguide 305 and a convex lens 310 that may reduce a diverging effect of laser energy 307 at the pre-reflector stage, directing laser energy 312 onto a flat reflector 315 from which laser energy 317 is directed through a flat window or tip 320 thereby producing laser energy 322 that can be focused onto a target, typically a few millimeters in front of the window 320.
In operation, each of the devices illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 is typically disposed very near, or even touching, the target surface owing to a shape and/or distribution of the electromagnetic laser energy emitted from an emitting surface of the device. Accordingly, back reflection of components from the target including, for example, fluids, particles, debris, energy (e.g., pressure waves), power-beam and/or visible light can reach the emitting surface, thereby degrading performance of the laser device.
A need thus exists in the prior art for a design architecture of a medical laser handpiece that can attenuate or eliminate the mentioned performance degradation, and enhance a speed of cutting (e.g., provide high speed cutting) of biological tissue relative to the mentioned constructions. A further need exists for a more reliable system for delivering electromagnetic energy to a target surface at a distance (e.g., a distance greater than required by the mentioned conventional devices) from an emitting surface that minimizes, reduces and/or eliminates harmful and/or undesirable (e.g., user detectable and/or device degrading) back reflection.